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1-min. review: 'My Sister's Keeper'Advertisement
'My Sister's Keeper' a heavy-handed weeper
Published online on Friday, Jun. 26, 2009
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Like a boxer on a cocktail of speed and Red Bull, director Nick Cassavetes throws a flurry of emotional punches with his latest tearjerker, "My Sister's Keeper."
Instead of using one scene of a dying teenager to move a person to sobs, he uses 20.
Anyone who has read the book by Jodi Picoult won't be surprised. This is a story that climbs to the top of an emotional mountain and defies the viewer not to react. The mistake Cassavetes makes is not recognizing the point of overload where a person becomes numb to the emotional pain.
At the breaking heart of "My Sister's Keeper" are two sisters: Kate (Sofia Vassilieva) and Anna (Abigail Breslin). Kate has leukemia and is dying. She's only lived to see her teenage years because her parents (Cameron Diaz and Jason Patric) decided to have Anna so she could be a donor for her sick sister.
Anna finally tires of the forced medical procedures she has had to endure to help her sister and decides to take legal action. If she wins her medical emancipation, her sister will most likely die.
MOVIE REVIEW"My Sister's Keeper" rated PG-13 for mild language, disturbing images. Stars Cameron Diaz, Abigail Breslin, Alec Baldwin, Jason Patric, Sofia Vassilieva, Joan Cusack. Directed by Nick Cassavetes. Running time: 1 hour, 49 minutes. Grade: C+
Cassavetes opts to focus more on the family than the court battle. There's no doubt the family dynamics provide far more emotional moments. He would have been smarter to have balanced the elements. This would have put the onus on the viewers to wrap themselves in the story rather than have it pushed on them with such an onslaught.
The brightest spot in "My Sister's Keeper" is Vassilieva, who's best known for playing Patricia Arquette's daughter on "Medium." A good makeup artist and the right lighting makes being sick an easy chore for an actor. Where Vassilieva excels is in the scenes where -- despite her sickly condition -- she shows her pure love of life. She says more with her face than all of the dialogue by the other actors. Look for her name to pop up when Oscar buzz starts early next year.
Joan Cusack manages to make the most out of her limited role as the judge presiding over the court fight.
Finally, Cassavetes' movie has a different ending than the book. That's his right as the director. But he should have stood behind his conviction -- and shown more strength -- and not ended the movie with a voiceover that is almost apologetic for the change.
TV and movie critic Rick Bentley can be reached at rbentley@fresno bee.com or (559) 441-6355. Read his blog at fresnobeehive.com/author/ rick_bentley.
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